Strategies for Resolving Team Conflict

Many organizations, including colleges and major corporations, have begun the
process of implementing work team systems. Teams present a greater diversity of
knowledge, ideas, and experience than any one individual can offer. This diversity often
helps to improve quality, create collaboration, enhance information exchange, and
provide a sense of community and support to the team members ; however, it can also
foster conflict. Conflict is a part of everyday life and is generally caused by individual
opinions and differences. “When individuals work in teams, differences in power, values,
attitudes, and social factors can all contribute to conflict”. Avoiding conflict completely
is impossible; however, the resulting outcome does not have to be negative. Using
effective strategies to manage conflict can present positive consequences as well.

Preventative Measures

Prevention is usually the best cure for most problems. When all members participate in
setting rules and guidelines, open communication and mutual understanding is created
within the team that may defuse a conflict before it becomes a problem. “It is, after all,
easier to agree on guidelines and processes everyone believes are fair when things are
going well, rather than when the team members are in the midst of conflict”. When the
team makes these decisions as a group instead of receiving direct instructions from an
authority figure, they are able to take ownership in the decision made and enforce it more
effectively. In addition, various training courses and workshops are offered that team
members can take advantage of to build awareness and acquire skills which could reduce
or even prevent conflicts from arising in the first place. Some of these programs include
team building, diversity training, communication workshops, and conflict management
seminars.

First Steps in Conflict Resolution

Despite exercising preventative measures, the possibility that conflict may occur still
exists. When conflict does arise, the first step is to analyze and understand the problem.
The team members should try to discover the causes and reasons for the disagreement.
Each team member should examine their own individual response to the conflict and
determine if their reactions are supportive of or interfering with the overall success of the
team. The team members should also examine the consequences of not being able to
solve the conflict, as well as discuss ways to settle the conflict within the team. Finally,
the team should decide which conflict resolution strategy to apply to the situation.

Employing Conflict Resolution Strategies

After the team members have analyzed the conflict and have a complete understanding
of the situation, they are then equipped to resolve the conflict by employing the conflict
resolution strategy which they have decided upon as a team. “Ralph H. Kilmann and
Kenneth W. Thomas, authors of the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, have
identified five general approaches to dealing with conflict: avoidance; accommodation;
competition; compromise; and collaboration” . Each style of dealing with conflict varies
in the degrees of cooperativeness and assertiveness. Coopertiveness refers to the party’s
desire to satisfy the other’s concern, and assertiveness describes the party’s desire to
satisfy their own concern . While most people generally have a preferred conflict
resolution style, different styles can be useful in different situations. No one strategy is
appropriate in all situations—each requires a different amount of time, energy, and
cooperation.

Avoidance

This style of conflict resolution usually attracts people who are trying to evade conflict
completely. In this instance, the parties are neither assertive nor cooperative. Avoidance
is usually demonstrated by delegating controversial decisions, accepting default
decisions, and not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings. This is an appropriate strategy to
use when winning becomes impossible, when the conflict is unimportant, or when
someone else is in a better position to solve the problem. This strategy is sometimes used
when the parties involved need time to control their emotions.

Accommodation

This style of conflict resolution indicates a willingness to meet the needs of others at
the expense of the person’s own needs. In this instance, cooperation is high and
assertiveness is low . Accommodation allows a person to be persuaded to surrender his or
her own position even though the submission is not justified. This is an appropriate
strategy to use when issues are more important than the other party, when harmony is
more valuable than winning, or when pacifying another person becomes important. This
approach is sometimes used to establish goodwill that can be traded for favors in the
future .

Competition

This style of conflict resolution is often used by people who know what they want and
take a firm stand; they are usually in a position of power or have a strong persuasive
ability. In this instance, cooperation is low and assertiveness is high. This is an
appropriate strategy to use when an emergency occurs and a decision needs to be made
quickly, when the decision is not a popular one, or when one party is trying to exploit the
situation. However, this style can cause unsatisfied or resentful feelings in some team
members when used in less urgent situations.

Compromise

This style of conflict resolution is often used to find a solution that will partially satisfy
everyone involved. Each party, including the compromiser, is expected to relinquish
something. In this instance, both medium assertiveness and cooperation are prominent.
This is an appropriate strategy to use when the cost of conflict is higher than achieving
the team’s goals, when equally matched parties are at an impasse, or when a deadline
needs to be met in a short amount of time.

Collaboration

This style of conflict resolution is used when attempting to meet the needs of all people
involved. In this instance, both cooperation and assertiveness are high, and the concerns
are equally important. This is an appropriate strategy to use when a variety of viewpoints
need to be addressed, when there have been previous conflicts within the group, or when
the situation is too important for a simple exchange of position. With the collaboration
strategy, everyone wins; however, the technique does require the most time and effort in
order to resolve the situation.

Team Benefits and Challenges

As stated earlier conflict can be either a negative or positive experience for a team,
depending on how the situation is processed and resolved. In many cases, effective
conflict resolution skills can make the difference between positive and negative
outcomes. Usually negative conflict will damage a team’s dynamics, which prevents the
members from functioning as a group and achieving their combined goals. Conflict can
be destructive when no decision has been reached and the problem still exists; when it
diverts energy away from more important activities; when it destroys morale; and when it
divides teams. In contrast, when conflict is resolved successfully, positive outcomes
prevail. Successful conflict resolution not only solves the problem that has been brought
to the surface, but it also benefits the team in some unexpected ways. Conflict can be
constructive when people change and grow personally from the conflict; when a solution
the problem is found; when it increases the involvement of the team, and when it builds
cohesiveness among the team members.

Conclusion

Conflict can be incredibly destructive to good teamwork. Differences between team

members can quickly escalate causing the members to become uncooperative if not
managed properly, eventually threatening the mission of the team. This is particularly
true in cases where the wrong approaches to conflict resolution are applied. To control
these situations, it helps to take a positive approach to conflict resolution. Positive
conflict resolution focuses on courteous and non-confrontational discussion, as well as on
the issues instead of on the individuals. As long as team members listen carefully to one
another and explore the facts, issues and possible solutions properly, conflict can often be
resolved effectively.
 References

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DeJanasz, S., Dowd K., & Schneider B. (2002). Interpersonal Skills in Organizations.
New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 241-259.

Kerr, R. (2005). Work Team Conflict Resolution. Retrieved December 2, 2008, from
http://www.uwstout.edu/rs/2005/article2.pdf

Mind Tools (2008). Resolving conflict rationally and effectively. Retrieved December 2,
2008, from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_81.htm

Porter, S. (2003). Managing Conflict in Learning Teams. University of Phoenix. pp. 1-9.